Wolf's Challange
by HeartlessRomantic
Summary: Sarah's back! She left the Labyrinth to lead a normal and complete life. She was never going back to that reality of fantasy! Until a certain wolf brings her back. Now she's Falling in Love again.
1. You Stalk your Prey before you Pounce

**Wolf's Challenge**

_Jareth: What do you feel when I kiss you?  
__Sarah: Your lips, your hands…(__cut off)  
__Jareth: No, I mean emotions.  
__Sarah: I feel... fear, a bit... Fear that you will leave again  
__let me go  
__stop, love... that I could really love you... willingness to do what you want... because I know that you have my best interests in mind...  
__Jareth: I will be your slave  
__Sarah: (whisper) Fear me, love me, do as I say…_

**-The Original Dialogue by Wolf.at.Heart. **

**_Disclaimer: I do not own what is written above, hence the phrase "original dialogue by" nor do I own anything in Labyrinth or any of Jim Henson's works. I have stated this in about ten other places, so you can go check out my other Labyrinth stories. (oh the shameless advertising). _**

**Chapter One—You Stalk your Prey before you Pounce**

Sarah stood in front of her mirror, debating. She wanted to see Hoggle and Ludo, and Didymus, and all of them, but she wasn't sure if they would come. She had defeated the Labyrinth, right? So what if the creatures left? She preferred not knowing to knowing the awful truth, at least then she had something to hope for. She didn't have to go through every day, knowing she could never see her friends again. She didn't have many friends Aboveground, just David and Patricia and of course Toby, her little brother. He was only five years old, but was still more interesting than half of her senior class. Sarah knew that her Stepmother didn't like the way she was influencing Toby, and Sarah knew that Toby was becoming a fantasyphile like she was. Sarah knew that Karen would want an accountant for a son, but Sarah was damned if she had an accountant for a brother!

She still didn't know. Perhaps she wasn't the most logical thinker (actually, that was pretty obvious) but she really didn't want to stand in front of an empty mirror with the world crashing around her ears. It had crashed before, and she was left trying to pick up the pieces of her former life. It crashed a little softer when she had the Labyrinth to dream about… until she had lived it. Now a combination of fear and wistfulness came over her, leaving an empty whole in her stomach.

"Hoggle?" she finally asked her mirror, hoping her father, (or worse, her Stepmother) couldn't hear her talking to no one. Psychiatry was not something she wished to engage in, as the giver or the recipient. "Hoggle? I need you Hoggle, all of you."

Nothing happened. Sarah was just about to crash on her bed in despair when a face did appear, but it wasn't Hoggle's face. It was hairy, but it wasn't Ludo, and it was canine, but it wasn't Didymus.

"Hello, my pet!" it sneered. Sarah knew that the creature was behind her, but she obstinately stared at the mirror, hoping it was an illusion, a dream. Pretending was better than Knowing. Then she felt the hand on her shoulder, the unnaturally long fingernails biting through the silk. She was turned, not by her own will, and stared up into the hairy face. He was like a bear…or a wolf. A wolf-man, a werewolf… _I am alone in my room with a werewolf…I'll never survive! _she thought desperately. After a moment of staring, she croaked, "You're not Hoggle." The man laughed. "No." he agreed. "I am not."

He didn't say another word, but picked her up and they were out the window. The Labyrinth lay before them, spread out on a hot brown hillside like a painting. There was the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. There was where Jareth was, or once was. She was sitting on the wolf-man like one would a horse, though horses rarely wore homespun cotton and rarely panted like dogs as they ran. They were also slightly less hairy, at least in Sarah's experience. The wolf man was excited. He hopped a little and yipped. Sarah almost allowed herself to smile, but not quite. She was still a hostage in a strange world that had tried to kill her on multiple occasions.

Wolf-man stood, tossing her off his back like a cape. She lay in the dusty earth as he walked away and down the hill. He turned, and with a perk of his wolf's ears (she wasn't sure if he had human ears too, but it was making her curious), he said, "Well, come on then!" _He's more puppy than wolf! _she thought, but then he bared his fangs, sharpened as a carnivore. She whimpered and stood up. As she followed, she couldn't help but stare at his tail. It was a huge wolf's tail, and it was waging. _This place just gets stranger and stranger…_

Wolf-man led her to the gates to the Labyrinth. And there with a yip and a howl, he seemed to vanish away. _Just remember… Everything seems possible, and nothing is what it seems…_

Did that mean that nothing was possible?


	2. The Stalking Begins

**Chapter 2---- The Stalking Begins**

'**_ello poppets, here is chapter 2! Aren't you glad? And no, I STILL don't own Labyrinth. I do, however, own the Wolf. Fear the Wolf. I also own any other characters not owned by Jim Henson and affiliates. _**

**A month prior: **

Jareth sat in his throne, glancing at a crystal. It was speaking to him, and telling him awful things.

Thing #1: His family was coming, to nag him for not being married. _Gods dammit, I tried, but no, they didn't like her… just because she came from the Hypi Kingdom does not mean she is a barbarian! _

Thing #2: the Wolf was coming, to poke fun at him for various reasons. Probably to collect some gambling money from him.

Thing #3: Sarah had a boyfriend. _Oh for heaven's sake! Can't I get ONE woman who loves me, who is available, and who won't die immediately? I'm not sure if Sarah fits any of the above, but gods, I love her! _

Thankfully, these were not in order. A wolf-man swaggered into the throne room. Most of the goblins scattered, so that you were actually able to see the floor for once. Jareth got that painful scent of nostalgia for a thing that has never happened. He was going to be remembering these moments for a long, long time.

"Greetings, O Fair and Wonderful Alpha Male of the Poor and Helpless Labyrinthine Creatures and those in Surrounding Counties, how are You today?"

"Oh, cut the dramatics, Wolf. What do you want?"

"A bet."

"Again?"

"Only if you accept it!"

Jareth sighed. One never could win with this one. "Fine, fine, what?"

The Wolf took on a different voice, more pompous and less Cockney.

"Well, it has come to be in my knowledge that you, my King, are in a rather tight spot. You are in love with a taken woman, and need to be gettin' hitched as soon as possible. Now, my proposition to you is: If I can get Sarah to marry you, before your parents come again, then will you finally let me go home to my sister?"

"Dear Wolf, I have never kept you from going."

"There is a surprisingly large bit of a puddle between here and the Nymphs."

"That is my problem, why?"

"Because you promised to provide a boat if I could get Sarah to come here in the first place."

"Oh for Odin's sake fine! I will, on my grave and before the gods, give you a boat if you can get Sarah to marry me. Now. What is the marker?"

"My paw print on the back of your throne. I never leave a marker unclean."

"Aye. Shake."

They shook.

And this is how it all began.


	3. Maybe

**Chapter 3---Maybe**

_**And it's chapter three! Yay! I continue to not own Labyrinth. How about this, when I own the Labyrinth, I'll tell you. **_

The entrance to the Labyrinth loomed in front of Sarah. She was almost afraid to go in again, what did it mean that she was here? Was the Labyrinth going to try and do her in again? She had never truly forgiven it for last time, and hadn't read the book since. She couldn't remember the lines. She had declined to read it to Toby when her father suggested it, she didn't want him getting ideas and wishing _her_ away to the Goblin City, to await his coming. Luckily, she didn't have to fight hard that time, Karen had absolutely forbidden it. Sarah never could figure out why her father had married Karen. They were so unalike.

She brought herself out of those dark thoughts to ponder. Was it possible to go home? she wondered. _Probably not…_

"Well, come on feet." She opened the door and turned to the left. Comforting that it at least _started _the same.

Meanwhile, the Wolf was stalking her. He sat on the edge of a wall, staring at the dark haired girl wander beneath him. It made him chuckle. He always did like to play with his food… and she looked so tasty too. Oh well, she was needed. He couldn't get any more …eh…_involved_… than necessary. Now the problem, he thought as he scratched behind his tufted ear, was how to make her fall in love with Jareth? According to him, someone had, and he had nearly married her, but also way back before he was King. And that was just impossible to believe. Well… maybe it was true. Maybe Sarah could love Jareth after all, no interfering necessary.

But maybe a little Nymph magic was what was needed here!

Jareth stared into the large crystal he had placed on velvet blankets on his bed. _The fool! _he thought. _He was supposed to bring her HERE, not to the Labyrinth itself! Oh damn him; see if I give him a ship! _Then he thought of Sarah's dark locks, her innocent smile. He thought of her eyes, hurt, as she destroyed him. Maybe it was true. Maybe Sarah could love him after all. Maybe it wasn't all a dream.

Maybe he was kidding himself.

Sarah was walking down a long hallway. She couldn't find the worm. Maybe she had taken a wrong turn already? Well, she could find a new path. It was just a Labyrinth. It was a piece of cake, right? She could do this. She was smarter. She didn't know why she was here, and she didn't really care. All she needed to know was how to get out of here. And the answer was probably at the castle, beyond the Goblin City, to take back the child that he had stolen. She shook herself. What was that? She hadn't thought that line in a weeks worth of years! What else would wake up now that she was back? She looked around the dark, slimy walls. Hopefully, the worm would.

The Wolf was jogging on top of one of the walls, looking down at his prey again. She was confused. Perfect. Remus had always told him that the sicker, more confused, or weaker the prey was, it was easier to catch. And if they didn't start out that way, make them so. The Wolf sighed. Rome had been so wonderful, before he and his mother had been dragged down here, after the gods had killed Remus. The Wolf shook such grim thoughts out of his shaggy head and concentrated on the girl below him. He was still pondering on how to bring her to Jareth. _Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Maybe when I bring her, wet and soaking and miserable to Jareth, she will realize her true love for him, be swept up in his arms and they will get married and I can go back to Emor. _He chuckled as he leaped through the Labyrinth. _This sounds just like a play. _

Jareth was getting increasingly livid. Not only did the Wolf bring her to the Labyrinth, leave her there to wander, but now he was RUNNING AWAY? Jareth did not want his love wet and soaking and miserable. There was not a snowballs chance in Hell that Jareth was going to give him a ship. The bet was over in his mind. All he had to do was tell the Wolf.

_No…_ he thought. _ I'll let him help me anyway… and we'll get married and the Wolf will go away. Alright. The bet stands._


	4. In with the Worm

**Chapter 4—In with the Worm**

_**And chapter four at your service!**_

Sarah was walking, looking for familiar signs, anything to get her out of this place again. Was it just her imagination, or was it slimier than before? She looked around for a door, or something vaguely resembling a door. She saw none and continued walking, her temper getting increasingly hotter.

The Wolf didn't have it much better. He had somehow managed to loose her. _Damn my cockiness! _he thought angrily. He would never get home, he would never see Xannia again, and Jareth would PAY for that! But the Wolf would have to pay first, and harder.

Jareth was just as unhappy as the rest of them. He was sitting in his throne, looking into his crystal, listening to the sounds of happy goblins. And he couldn't see Sarah! Where in Odin's name was that girl?

"WOLF!" he shouted. The Wolf heard, half a mile away. "Oh, great," he muttered. He ran to the castle, tail between his legs.

"WHERE IS SHE?"

"Uh…who?"

"WHO DO YOU THINK, PUP?"

"I'M NOT A PUPPY!"

"YOU ARE A FOOLISH, IMMATURE, LOATHESOME HALF-CANINE!"

"YOU ARE A FOOLISH, IMMATURE, LOATHESOME HALF-HUMAN! SO HA!"

"WHY YOU…"

Jareth and the Wolf began to tussle on the floor, for there was never anything more insulting than being called human, even half so, if you weren't one. If you were, you were looked upon with pity. Unless a certain king happened to be in love with you.

Sarah was now wandering languidly through the halls. She didn't really know or care anymore where she was. It wasn't like she had a time limit this time around.

"ello!"

"Did you just say, 'hello?'"

"No, I said 'ello', but that's close enough."

Sarah looked down. Sure enough to her suspicions, a blue worm was on the wall.

"Come inside for a nice cup of tea, meet the missus."

Sarah looked around. Why not? Toby was safe, she assumed. "Alright."

She didn't know how she was to fit inside the worms hole until he whistled (she didn't know worms could do that either) and a young looking fairy came out. Her skin was purple and so was her long, straight hair. She had wings like a vulture and wore a pale lilac chiffon dress. "ello, Emily," the Worm said to her. "ello, Father," Emily replied. Yet another thing Sarah didn't know worms could do—spawn fairies. Emily flew toward her and Sarah instinctively jumped back. She remembered the last fairy she had come in contact with, and that hurt! But Emily flew around her three and a half times clockwise, then three and a half times counterclockwise. Emily then stood with her father and put her hands on her hips with a smug look.

Sarah looked at herself. She was now very smaller than the worm. She had butterfly wings coming out of her back and was wearing some odd leaf contraption. Her skin had taken on a fairly green tint. The worm looked at her and sighed. Emily huffed in indignation. "Well, it isn't my fault that's how she sees fairies! I would have given her _real_ wings that she could actually _fly _with, but no, she wanted those prissy things!" Sarah looked down and blushed. She was showing quite a bit of thigh. Emily noticed and said, "Come on to my room, I've got some clothes that should fit you!" Sarah nodded gratefully.

Inside the worm's home was made of the same stone as outside it, but it was relatively cleaner. There were comfortable chairs and a tiny oven. It was warm inside, and Sarah loved it. Emily led her through a narrow, darker, hallway to her room. It was just like the rest of the house, though a tad messier. Emily added to this mess by throwing clothes out of her walnut closet on to the floor. Most of them were some chiffon like fabric. Finally, she held up a large flannel shirt that went to Sarah's knees. "It was my ex-boyfriend's," Emily started to explain. "He was a real vulture!"

Sarah met the missus (another fairy) who didn't have much to say. She seemed to be mute, but was content with cooking over the small stove. They had just sat down to dinner when a large eye looked through the window. It was yellow with a black iris, a wolf's eye. Or the Wolf's eye. He barked and reached a hairy hand through the door and grabbed Sarah, then began to run to the castle.


End file.
